1. Field
Electrical conductors, methods of producing the electrical conductor, and an electronic device including the electrical conductor are disclosed.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electronic device, such as a flat panel display, such as for example a liquid crystal display (LCD) or light-emitting diode (LED) display, a touch screen panel, a solar cell, a transparent transistor, and the like, may include an electrically conductive thin film or a transparent electrically conductive thin film. It is desirable for a material of an electrically conductive film to have high light transmittance (e.g., greater than or equal to about 80% in a visible light region) and low specific resistance (e.g., less than or equal to about 1×10−4 ohm centimeter (Ω·cm)). Currently available metal oxide materials used in transparent electrically conductive thin films include indium tin oxide (ITO), tin oxide (SnO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), and the like. ITO is a transparent electrode material and a transparent semiconductor having a wide bandgap of 3.75 electron volts (eV), and may be manufactured in a large area using a sputtering process. However, for application to a flexible touch panel, or a UD-grade high resolution display, ITO has poor flexibility and a higher cost due to limited reserves of indium. Therefore, development of an alternative material is desired.
Recently, a flexible electronic device, e.g., a foldable or bendable electronic device, is being developed as a next generation electronic device. Therefore, there is a need for a material having improved transparency, relatively high electrical conductivity, and suitable flexibility, as well as transparent electrode materials.